Quick Start - kocakli/Trello-Desktop-MCP GitHub Wiki

Quick Start Guide

Get up and running with Trello Desktop MCP in 5 minutes! This guide assumes you've completed the Installation Guide.

5-Minute Startup

Step 1: Verify Connection (30 seconds)

Test your setup with Claude Desktop:

Show me my Trello boards

Expected Result: You should see a list of your accessible Trello boards.

Step 2: Explore a Board (1 minute)

Get detailed information about one of your boards:

Show me details for my "Project Management" board including all lists and cards

Expected Result: Complete board overview with lists, cards, and basic statistics.

Step 3: Create Your First Card (1 minute)

Add a new task to one of your boards:

Create a new card called "Test MCP Integration" in the "To Do" list of my Project Management board

Expected Result: New card created with confirmation and card details.

Step 4: Search Across Content (30 seconds)

Test the universal search functionality:

Search for all cards containing "meeting" across my boards

Expected Result: List of cards matching your search term with context.

Step 5: Update and Move Cards (2 minutes)

Practice basic card management:

Add a comment to the "Test MCP Integration" card: "Successfully integrated Trello with Claude!"

Then move the card:

Move the "Test MCP Integration" card to the "Done" list

Expected Results: Card updated with comment and moved to completion status.

Essential Commands to Try

Board Management

# Get all your boards
"List all my Trello boards"

# Get board structure
"Show me all lists in my [Board Name] board"

# Create new workflow stage
"Create a new list called 'Code Review' in my Development board"

Card Operations

# Create cards with details
"Create a card 'Fix login bug' in the Bugs list with description 'Users cannot log in with special characters' and assign it to @username"

# Update card information
"Update the 'Fix login bug' card to add due date of next Friday"

# Move cards between stages
"Move all cards from 'In Progress' to 'Code Review' in my Development board"

Search and Discovery

# Universal search
"Find all cards related to 'authentication' across my boards"

# Find team members
"Show me information about team member @johndoe"

# Search within specific boards
"Search for 'bug' in my Development and Testing boards only"

Team Collaboration

# Add comments
"Add comment to card 'Deploy v2.0': 'Deployment scheduled for Monday 9 AM'"

# Get team information
"Who are all the members of my Project Management board?"

# Review activity
"Show me recent activity on the 'Deploy v2.0' card"

Common Use Case Examples

Daily Standup Preparation

"Show me all cards assigned to me across all boards that are due this week"

Project Status Report

"Give me a summary of my 'Q4 Goals' board including card counts in each list and any overdue items"

Team Coordination

"Show me all cards in 'Blocked' status across my development boards and their latest comments"

Sprint Planning

"Create cards for these user stories in my 'Sprint Backlog' list: [list of features]"

Understanding Responses

Board Information

When you request board information, you'll get:

  • Board name, description, and URL
  • List of workflow stages (lists)
  • Card counts and basic statistics
  • Team member information
  • Recent activity summary

Card Details

Card responses include:

  • Title, description, and current status
  • Assigned team members
  • Due dates and completion status
  • Labels and categorization
  • Comments and activity history
  • Attachments and linked files

Search Results

Search responses provide:

  • Matching cards with context
  • Board and list locations
  • Relevance scoring
  • Member and organization matches
  • Quick action suggestions

Tips for Effective Usage

1. Use Natural Language

Instead of: trello_get_board_details boardId=123 Try: "Show me everything about my Project Management board"

2. Be Specific When Needed

Instead of: "Show me cards" Try: "Show me all overdue cards assigned to me in my Development board"

3. Combine Operations

Instead of multiple separate requests: Try: "Create a new card 'Review proposal' in To Do list, assign it to @sarah, set due date to Friday, and add comment 'High priority item'"

4. Use Context

Claude remembers context within a conversation:

"Show me my Project Management board"
"Create a new card in the To Do list"  # Refers to the previously mentioned board
"Move it to In Progress"               # Refers to the just-created card

5. Ask for Summaries

Get overview information:

"Give me a weekly summary of activity on my Development board"
"What's the current status of all my projects?"

Next Steps

Learn More Tools

Optimize Your Workflow

Get Help

Quick Reference Card

Task Natural Language Command
List boards "Show me all my Trello boards"
Board details "Show me details of my [Board Name] board"
Create card "Create card '[Title]' in '[List]' list of '[Board]' board"
Search content "Search for '[term]' across my boards"
Move card "Move '[Card Name]' to '[List Name]' list"
Add comment "Add comment '[text]' to '[Card Name]' card"
Get card info "Show me details of '[Card Name]' card"
List members "Who are the members of '[Board Name]' board?"

Congratulations! You're now ready to use Trello Desktop MCP effectively. Explore Usage Examples for more advanced scenarios.